EDMONTON -- Edmonton city council voted in favour of a new housing complex in the Keheewin neighbourhood late Wednesday afternoon.
The project would see a 135-unit complex built, which will include affordable housing units, on a surplus school site, owned by the city.
“I want Mr. Walters to know that I’m not a villainizer of poor people,” said Cynthia Lang, a resident in the Keheewin neighbourhood.
Dozens of residents attended a two-day public hearing on the matter, most there to voice their opposition.
“The proximity to the school, and the green space, and the traffic. Those are the three big ones,” said Shelly Olsen, another Keheewin resident.
The project, which will include a mix of row housing and 4-storey apartment building, will replace a soccer field and be about 30 meters from Keheewin Elementary School.
“The city gave us the impression that green space is created to enrich communities, so why are you ruining that?” said Lang.
“It’s not about what kind of people will live there, it’s about, is this good land use?” said ward 5 councillor Sarah Hamilton.
Ward 10 councillor Michael Walters said affordable housing is a big priority for council.
“Sometimes people aren’t going to be happy, with the end result, and we have to live with that,” said Walters.
With files from CTV Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson…
